Fever Dreams
by futureREFLECTIONS
Summary: Eric Northman stumbles upon something peculiar, and decides to deal with it in the way he knows best.
1. Zero

00.

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><p>This August night was more insufferable than usual, Eric Northman (owner of the successful vampire bar, Fangtasia) thought without much affliction. The moist, sticky air didn't bother him physically, but typically when these hot spells last for much longer than a few days, the general odor of the air is tinted with sweat and exhaustion. All it made him want to do is bathe.<p>

While he sped over mile after mile of dipping and puckered highway in his exquisite, imported Lamborghini, he could notice nothing else out of the ordinary. The twilight cast a glow on the earth, and the beauty of the thick forest was lost on account of the inky shadows that took over, just past the tree line. Eric relished the feel of the tires humming over semi-smooth pavement, aware of every pebble and twig that passed under his wheels. The air, he thought as he took in a deep breath and examined, was thick and smelled like the storms that were surely about to reach Bon Temps at any moment. He could smell the release that was about to happen, the tension just about to break and make the air fresh again.

As he continued on, the first droplets of rain slapped against the windshield with a heavy, moist drop. He inhaled the fresh smell of rain, and with eyes closed, steered his way through the dark. He hadn't seen another car for miles, so his headlights had been shut off, as they were unnecessary. Past the foliage, the rainfall that was steadily increasing, and the gasoline from his car, Eric picked up on something strange and out of place, but distinct enough for him to recognize the scent instantly. Rapidly, it was growing closer and Eric flipped on his beams just in time for him to see a form lying in the road.

While his foot tapped the break easily, he concluded that it was a person, a woman, with severe wounds somewhere on her persons, and she was hardly dressed. He could only assume she had been hurt, and without much thought he pulled over to where she lay, sprawled face down over the shoulder of the road. The rain was picking up slowly when Eric raised his butterfly doors and stepped out to inspect.

Much to his dismay, he realized the woman was topless and the only thing covering her was a pair of very skimpy panties. It was a grim sign, he thought, carefully rolling her onto her back. She put up no struggle, falling limply into the new position. Eric looked closer at her face and couldn't help but wince. Both of her eyes had been swollen shut, her lip was busted open a half-inch, and blood had dried to her nose and cheeks. Her hair was matted to her forehead, but with rain or blood, Eric didn't know.

Upon further examination, he found that she had been shot four times; twice in her right shoulder, once in the stomach, and once in the thigh. He could still hear her heart beat and blood flow, though it was faint. Oddly enough, he placed a second, must faster flutter of a heart, and when he looked to her abdomen again, he now saw a small, barely there bump nestled between her hips. The girl was pregnant.

He didn't have time to waste, if he wanted her to recover. Swiftly, he lifted her from the ground. To him, her weight was nothing. When he got her to the car, he set her gingerly in the passenger seat and covered her with his jacket. In the overhead light, he noticed the pallid tone of her skin and the rich chocolate color of her hair.

Before another moment passed, Eric was back in his seat and driving twice the legal limit back to Shreveport. He could only imagine the look on Pam's face when he came through the door carrying this disaster.

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><p>Just a little something I've been thinking about.<br>Mostly to get me, and whoever else, through the next year while we wait for Season 5.  
>As much as I love the EricSookie/Bill action that has been hinted at in the show,  
>I used an original character for this story.<p>

Who knows how long this will go on.  
>Review, please.<p> 


	2. Risk

01.

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><p>"You have got to be fucking kidding me, Eric. Why on Earth would you bring <em>this<em> back? It's not even good anymore. Over half of the blood is already gone," Pam snipped, placing one hand on her hip. Eric looked at her with an amused expression, but didn't answer. His focus was on the girl, who was barely wheezing out her breaths.

Typically, if he were to find an injured young damsel, he would simply feed her a few drops of his blood and watch nature's miracle happen before him, before reaping the rewards. The only thing that was stopping him now was the fact that this young damsel was with child, and appeared to be not much more than a child herself.

He didn't know what would happen, but assuming the unborn human was no bigger than an apple at this point, Eric's potent blood may just be too much for the fetus to handle. On the same note, if he didn't do something very soon, both mother and child would be lost.

Such a predicament, Eric thought without much worry. In both of the situations he had presented to himself, the child was in peril. But there was always the slim chance that he was wrong, and that the two of them would survive and return to perfect health.

"If that's not food, then what is it _doing_ here, Eric?" Pam was getting ornery, and Eric was in no mood for her snarky attitude at this particular moment.

"How about you go out and find some lovely little dancer to satisfy your tastes," he looked to her and smiled over his shoulder, a cold display of teeth, and Pam huffed before turning toward the exit. Her heels clicked with every irate step until she was out the door.

Eric had to make a decision. The two heart beats had grown so slow, that he could count on both hands the number of seconds between each weak, shuddering squeeze. He drew out his fangs and tore into his own wrist, barely feeling the pain anymore. He held the bloody wound to the girls bruised lips, and used his other hand to persuade her mouth to open.

It was a few moments before he got a response, and when he did, he let out a breath he would never admit he was holding. He felt the girl's tongue flick out, gently licking the puncture wounds. She remained still, making no move to clasp onto his wrist like so many others had done, and when he withdrew his arm, she made no struggle for more of his delicious blood. A small pink tongue traced her lips and with a few hard swallows, her heartbeat was already much stronger than it had been just seconds ago.

Eric watched with intense curiosity as her wounds drew shut, and as her swollen face began to shrink back to normal, a small smile caressed her lips. _How odd,_ Eric thought to himself. She didn't appear to remember anything she'd been through. In fact, the only thing she seemed concerned about was the light, metallic clank of the bullets being pushed out of her skin. Her eyebrows crushed together, and one delicate hand moved to the bump on her abdomen.

Everything appeared to have gone well, Eric thought, and left the room to get a warm wash cloth so he could clean her up a bit. He was gone only for a few moments, but when he returned, he found that the girl had awakened. Her eyes wide with horror, she trembled as she took in the dark, unfamiliar room, and now the stranger that was approaching her.

Eric was by her side in a flash, and when he spoke, she cut him off with a loud, terrified scream.

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><p>I know this is even shorter than the first one,<br>But it's just gonna have to do until I can get this moving along.  
>Updates are going to come slowly, as usual.<br>I have a busy schedule with the holiday season approaching.  
>Just know that I'll put these out as soon as I can get around to it.<p>

Please, review. Your feedback is what motivates me.


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